Navi is a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

-born Michael Jackson tribute artist and actor based in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Navi starred as Jackson in '' Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland'', a 2017 American television biopic.

Early life

Navi was born on February 4 1976 in

Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...

. He moved with his family to London where he took a liking to pop music, including

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

etc.

Career

In 1992, after seeing him perform, Jackson began hiring the young impersonator on several occasions as a decoy, and for the promotion of world tours and albums such as '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'', ''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

'' and ''

Thriller 25 ''Thriller 25'' is the 25th anniversary edition reissue of American singer Michael Jackson's sixth studio album ''Thriller'' (1982). The original album has sold 70 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of all time. ''Thrille ...

''.

2003

In 2003, Michael Jackson invited Navi to perform at his 45th birthday concert at the Orpheum Theatre in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, to which Navi agreed. He performed at the venue in front of an audience of 2,000 fans, with Jackson in attendance, performing

Jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and ...

and Thriller. At the end of his impersonation of

Smooth Criminal "Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, as the seventh single from his seventh album, '' Bad'' (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyrics add ...

, delighted by his rendition, Jackson went on to give him a standing ovation and thumbs up.

2009

In 2009, following the death of Michael Jackson, Navi was invited to attend the UK premiere of ''

Michael Jackson's This Is It ''Michael Jackson's This Is It'' is a 2009 American documentary–concert film about Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, at the O2 Arena, but cancelled du ...

'' in London's Leicester Square. Navi created his own Michael Jackson tribute concert, King Of Pop - The Legend Continues, starring himself, backed by a 4-piece live band and 4 dancers.

2016

In 2016, for his The Legend Continues tour, Navi was joined on stage by

Jennifer Batten Jennifer Batten (born November 29, 1957) is an American guitarist who has worked as a session musician and solo artist. From 1987 to 1997 she played on all three of Michael Jackson's world tours, and from 1999 to 2001 she toured and recorded wit ...

. Batten was lead guitarist for Michael Jackson on three world tours, including the

Bad Tour Bad was the first solo concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson, launched in support of his seventh studio album ''Bad (album), Bad'' (1987). Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts for over 4.4 million ...

, the

Dangerous World Tour The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson to promote his eighth studio album ''Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various charities including Jacks ...

and the

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning ...

, as well as the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show.

Acting debut

In late 2016, Navi was cast in the starring role of Michael Jackson in the Lifetime/Silver Screen Pictures film, '' Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland'', his acting debut. The biopic was executive produced by

Suzanne de Passe Suzanna Celeste de Passe (born July 19, 1946, 1947 or 1948) (sources differ) is an American businesswoman, television, music and film producer. De Passe serves as the co-chairwoman of de Passe Jones Entertainment, de Passe Jones Entertainment Gr ...

, former President of Motown Productions. Shooting began in January 2017 on location in

References

External links

* *
Navi's UK tour website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navi Living people Michael Jackson impersonators Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United Kingdom 1972 births